European Union signs international mercury pollution convention

4:47 PM MDT | October 10, 2013 | Francinia Protti-Alvarez

European environment commissioner Janez Poto─Źnik and Lithuanian environment minister Valentinas Mazuronis have signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury on behalf of the European Union, the European Commission announced today. The ceremony, in the Japanese town of Kumamoto, was attended by representatives of more than 100 governments from around the world. The new convention, which is named after the location of the worst-ever case of mercury pollution, covers all aspects of the mercury lifecycle. Once properly implemented, it is expected to have genuinely...